Why it is so much easier building muscle the second time round! - Emily Skye

Why it is so much easier building muscle the second time round!

Have you ever wondered why it is so much easier rebuilding strength and definition that you have already achieved in the past? Or why some people can go on holiday for a couple of months and come back looking like they have had a relaxing time, only to be fit and toned again in a matter of weeks?

It is because of the incredible muscle cell, and the wonders of muscle memory!

Your muscles are made up of muscles fibres, or cells which are also known as myocytes. These myocytes are actually formed from smaller embryonic like cells called myoblasts. Each of these myoblasts brings their own nucleus to the party and it is in these nucleuses that the information, or DNA, is stored. Think of it as a brain within your muscle cell! All these myoblasts connect together to form the long tubular shape that we refer to as muscles cells or fibres. Each of these cells is made up of a combination of proteins, that contain both glycogen and oxygen, and this is what provides them with their strength, resilience and energy.

When our muscles start to waste away, or atrophy, due to lack of use, the mass of the cell withers away yet all the nucleus that have been built remain. This is why we refer to it as muscle memory, because the ‘brain’ of the muscle cell remains! All the information regarding how to build bigger and stronger, is stored in the nucleus.

This means that when you start to focus on building them up again they remember their former glory and are able to return to that state a lot quicker than they did the first time around.

Don’t get me wrong, it still takes hard work, good nutrition and a lot of perseverance to get yourself back there. However this is the reason why I encourage everyone, of any age to work on creating the strongest and healthiest version of themselves.